The largest and flattest of the five, and the only one with a proper sandy beach and a resort feel — a long seafront of loungers, an old town and a newer beach quarter. The easiest, most comfortable base, especially for families and anyone who wants to swim and skip the endless steps.
A look around
What you’ll be living next to. Swipe through.
€210–370
typical per night in Italy
You pay for the postcode
One of the pricier addresses in Cinque Terre.
Where it sits
The circle is Monterosso al Mare and roughly a 10-minute walk around it.
How far is everything?
From the middle of this area to the city's headline sights — pick your own on the city page and these become your list.
- The Sentiero Azzurro coastal trail17 min walk1.4 km
- Vernazza8 min taxi2.7 km
- Pesto & Ligurian cooking8 min taxi2.7 km
- Corniglia & the Lardarina steps16 min taxi5.3 km
- Manarola (beach)22 min taxi7.3 km
- The Manarola sunset view22 min taxi7.4 km
- The Via dell'Amore24 min taxi7.9 km
- The Cinque Terre Express25 min taxi8.3 km
- Riomaggiore25 min taxi8.4 km
On your doorstep
What you’re living next to if you stay here.
- 4.Monterosso beach — The Cinque Terre's only real beach — a long stretch of sand and pebble along Monterosso's seafront, with rows of striped umbrellas, a free public section and easy swimming. The place to actually flop on sand between village hikes; busy in summer, but a proper beach day the other four villages can't offer.
- 7.A boat along the villages — Seeing the villages rise from the sea is the best way to grasp them — the local ferry (and small boat tours) links four of the five (all but harbourless Corniglia), gliding beneath the cliffs and vineyards. A gorgeous, breezy alternative to the packed trains and trails; take the last boat back for a sunset from the water.
- 13.A cone of fried seafood — Cheap, fresh and everywhere — a paper cone ('cuoppo') of hot fried anchovies, calamari and prawns from a village takeaway, eaten on the harbour rocks. Monterosso's salted anchovies are a local specialty in their own right. The perfect walkable lunch between trails; follow the smell to the busiest little friggitoria.
- 14.Focaccia & farinata — Liguria's other great snack — dimpled, olive-oil-soaked focaccia (plain, or the cheese-filled 'focaccia di Recco'), and 'farinata', a thin baked chickpea pancake. Grab a warm slab from a bakery for a beach or trail lunch; simple, savoury and utterly moreish, and a fraction of the price of a sit-down meal.
When are you staying?
Booking.com & Airbnb open searched to Monterosso al Mare; flights via Google Flights.